Drive mechanism for a pick-up hay baler



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May 13, 1958 s. D. RUSSELL I DRIVE MECHANISM FOR A PICKUP HAY BALER l3 Sheets-Sheet 12 Original Filed March 10, 1948 May 13, 1958 s. D. RUSSELL DRIVE MECHANISM FOR A PICK-UP HAY BALER l5 Sheets-Sheet 15 Original Filed March 10, 1948 Inf/@2307".- Jinn le g flhfussell.

United States Patent DRIVE MECHANISM non A PICK-UP HAY BALER Stanley D. Russell, Racine, Wis., assi'gnor to J. I. Case Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Original application March 18, 1948, Serial No. 13,969,

now Patent No. 2,674,839, dated April 13, 1954. Divided and this application September 8, 1953, Serial No. 378,904

claims. (01. 56-341) The present invention relates generally to balers and, in particular, relates to an improved pickup baler construction. This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 13,969, filed March 10, 1948, issued April 13, 1954 as Patent No. 2,674,839.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved drive means for a pick-up baler. More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a drive means whereby the speeds of the several driven elements of the baler are controlled to afford a smooth and efficient operation of the entire baling unit within a range determined by the characteristics of the prime mover.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as reference is had to the following description and the accompanying drawings of preferred embodiments of various of the novel features disclosed herein.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevational view of the right hand side of the prime mover which forms a part of a self=propelled baler constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an 'elevational View of the left side of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic, plan view of the drive mechanism of a self-propelled baler constructed in accordance with the invention, with parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged diagrammatic plan view of the variable speed V-belt assembly which forms an important part of the prime mover illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, with parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. '4;

Fig. 6 is an 6-'-6' of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary, perspective view of the drive elements which operatively connect the prime mover to the baling mechanism, as illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the improved windrow pick-up which forms a part of the baler of the invention;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the pick-up 'which is illustrated in Fig. 8, with parts broken away. This view is taken on a line which extends parallel to the line of draft of the implement;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the hold down strips used in the construction of the wind guard which forms a part of the pick-up illustrated in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 showing the position of the hold down strips when the wind guard is in the alternative position;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the feeding mechanism which forms an important part of the invention, with parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 13 is a na'gmemary, perspective viewer the enlarged sectional view taken on line feeding mechanism illustrated in Fig. 12, some parts being cut away and in section;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of the feed belts which form a part of the feeding unit illustrated in the preceding figures, with parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic, plan view of the drive arrangement for the feeding unit;

Fig. 16 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the novel belt aligning pulley seen particularly in Fig. 15. I

Fig. 17 is a schematic view of the pick-up unit, illustrating its use as a windrow mover;

Fig. 17a is a perspective view, similar to Fig. 17, which further illustrates certain features of the apparatus when in use as a windrow mover;

Fig. 18 is an enlarged fragmentary, perspective view of the baling piston and its associated baling chamber, with parts broken away and in section;

Figs. 19 and 20 are plan and elevational views respectively, of the novel wedges which form a part of the baling chamber illustrated particularly in Fig. 18;

Fig. 2 1 is an elevational view, partially in section, showing an improved safety link which forms a part ofthe baler constructions illustrated in the drawings;

Fig. 21a is a view taken on line 21a- 21a of Fig. 21, reduced in scale;

Fig. 22 is an enlarged fragmentary, perspective view of a novel adjustable bale case which is embodied in the apparatus of the present invention;

Fig. 23 is an enlarged fragmentary, perspective view of the adjusting wedge which forms a part of the bale case illustrated in Fig. 22;

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of the drive arrangement which is employed when a baler in accordance with the invention is driven from a power take 01f shaft;

Fig. 25 is a diagrammatic, plan View of the drive mechanism which is employed when a baler in accordance with the invention is driven from a ground wheel;

Fig. 25a is a sectional view showing the off-set, counterbalanced crank and the sprocket and the clutch which forms a part of the drive mechanism illustrated in Fig. 25;

Fig. 25b is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 25b'--25b in Fig. 25a, with parts broken away and in section; and

Fig. 26 is a perspective view showing a self-powered, pull-type baler embodying the features of the invention.

Pick-up balers are of two general types; the pull type and the self propelled type. The self propelled baler includes, as an integral unit, a prime mover which is adapted to move the implement about the field as well as to provide the power to drive the various mechanisms which are necessary to the efficient operation of the baler. or other draft vehicle and is powered from a power take off, from a separate engine, or from an operative connection to one of the ground wheels. The baler to be discussed in the greatest detail is of the self propelled type, but it will be apparent that the various features of the invention are equally applicable to both types of balers.

This particular embodiment of a self propelled bailer comprises a prime mover P which includes a frame portion F on which are journalled suitable support wheels 'so that the apparatus can be moved about a field, a windro'w pick-up unit W, a feeding unit G, a baling chamber B, an adjustable bale case C, and a bale tying or fastening means T. For convenience, the various elements of the implement will be individually discussed under several sub-titles.

Prime-mover The prime mover P, in the self propelled baler, is

adapted to support the various elements of the ballot for movement about the field, and to provide the power which The pull type implement is drawn by a tractor baler about the field. The prime mover P includes a 7 generally T-shaped frame F (Figs. 1 and 3) which comprises a longitudinally extending section which is adapted to be supported by a support wheel 30 at its forward end, a plurality of structural members which form the baling chamber B and the bale case C at the rearward end of the longitudinally extending section, and a transversely extending, outrigger-like frame 31 which is adapted to support the windrow pick-up W and the crop feeding means G. The wheel 30 supports the forward end of the longitudinally extending frame and a pair of spacedvapart support wheels 32 and 33 are journalled onto an axle 35 which forms a part of the outrigger-like frame 31.

In the structure illustrated, the forward end of the longitudinally extending frame and the motive power for the various elements are provided by the forward portion of a tricycle type, medium-sized, tractor M. The part of the tractor M which is employed in the structure, is that part which is normally ahead of the transmission, and includes. the forward wheel assembly, the steering mechanism, the engine, the clutch, and the usual propeller shaft. The main structural members which form the rearward end of the longitudinally extending frame are a pair of rear- Wardly extending, parallel, spaced-apart angle members 37 (Figs. 1, 2, and 22) which form a suitable support under the baling chamber B and the bale case C. The angle members 37 are suitably braced by appropriate bracing members 39.

The power for the windrow pick-up unit W, the crop feeding unit G, and the baling mechanism and the power to move the implement about the field is transmitted from the engine by a propeller shaft 41 (Fig. 3) to a cross shaft 43 by means of a bevel gear set 45. The cross shaft 43 is journalled into suitable hearings on the frame F of the implement. A drive pulley 47 is keyed to one end of the cross shaft 43 and the pulley 47 is adapted to drive the various elements of the harvester. The other end of the cross shaft 43 is connected into a conventional, three-speed transmission and clutch combination 49, adapted to transmit the power necessary to move the implement about the field. Power is transmitted to the support wheel 33 from the three-speed transmission 49 by means of a novel V-belt, variable speed, drive assembly 51 and a series of chains and sprockets. The variable, V-belt, drive assembly 51 is adapted to be continuously adjustable so that the rate of movement of the baler can be maintained at the optimum baling speed.

The V-belt assembly 51 (Figs. 4, 5, and 6) includes a pair of spaced-apart, adjustable width pulleys 53 and 53' which are connected by a V-belt 55. Pulley 53 is attached to the output shaft 56 of the three-speed transmission 49 and the other pulley, 53, is attached to a cross shaft 57 which is rotatably journalled in the main frame F. The end portion 73 of each of the shafts 56 and 57 is splined so that the spacing of the pulleys can be adjusted on the shafts.

The adjustable pulleys 53 and 53 are constructed in an identical manner so that in the following description only pulley 53 will be described. The pulley 53 includes an inner disc 59 which is movable toward and away from a fixed outer disc 61. The outer disc 61 is rigidly attached to the end of the shaft 57 by means of a cap screw 63 which engages a thrust plate 65 on the end of the shaft 57 (Fig. The thrust plate 65 may be conveniently attached to the shaft 57 by means of a cap screw 69. The inner face 71 of the outer disc 61 tapers inwardly towards the center of the disc at the same slope as the face of the V-belt 55 so that aconstant contact force will be maintained between the face of the belt 55 and the inner face 71 of the disc 61. The hub of the movable or inner disc 59 engages the splined portion of the shaft 57 and is movable longitudinally therealong. The outer face 75 of the inner disc 59 tapers outwardly so that i @11- '4 gages the inner face of the V-belt 55. The inner disc 59 may be biased inwardly, toward the frame F, by means of a coil spring 77 which can be disposed within a recess 79 in the hub portion of the outer disc 61 (Fig. 5). The inner and outer discs 59 and 61 respectively, are each provided with reinforcing webs 81 to strengthen the faces of the discs which co-act with the V-belt 55. In order that the pulleys may be statically and dynamically balanced, counterweighting portions 83 are formed as an integral part of each of the discs and these may be drilled out to balance the assemblage Relative positioning of the inner and outer discs, 59 and 61, is accomplished by means of a sleeve 85 which is journalled for free rotation relative to the splined portion 73 of the shaft 57. A thrustrtypeball bearing ring 87 is provided between the disc positioning sleeve 85 and the inner disc 59 so that the rotation of the inner disc does not rotate the sleeve 85; the ball'bearing ring 87 is held in position by a pair of snap rings 88. The inner face 89 of the disc positioning sleeve 85 is a cam surface and this face co-acts with a complementary, mating, cam surface 91 fixedly attached to the main frame F. The forces resulting from rotation of the sleeve 85 and the resulting relative movement of the cam surfaces 89 and 91 will effect longitudinal movement of the sleeve 85 along the spline portion 73 of the shaft 57. This longitudinal movement of the sleeve 85 will, in. turn, effect movement of the inner disc 59 outwardly relative to the outer disc 61 and the spring 77 or the tension of the belt 55 alone, will separate the discs when the disc adjusting sleeve 85 is rotated in the opposite direction.

The pulley 53' is provided with a cam surfaced, adjusting sleeve 85' which is similar to the adjusting sleeve 85 which has been described in connection with pulley 53. The two sleeves are mechanically interconnected so as to move together by means of a pair of flexible strips of metal 101 which are joined by an adjustable, resilient, shock absorber and tensioning device 103 (Fig. 6). The pulleys are relatively positioned by means of the interconnected, disc positioning sleeves 85 and 85 and any increase in spacing between the discs on one pulley will automatically decrease the spacing between the disc on the other pulley an equivalent amount. This assures the maintenance of the V-belt 55 at proper tension at all times.

Adjustment of the position of the sleeves 85 and 85' is accomplished by means of a sprocket 93 which forms an integral part of the sleeve 85 on the pulley 53. Movement of this sprocket is effected from a hand wheel 95 which is located on the baler frame within reach of the baler operator. The hand wheel 95 is keyed to a suitable shaft 97 which is journalled in the frame F, and a sprocket 99 attached to the shaft 97 is connected to the sprocket 93 on the sleeve 85 by means of a suitable chain and sprocket linkage 100.

The cam surfaces associated with'the forward pulley 53 are a mirror image of the cam surfaces associated with the rearward pulley 53 so that upon rotation of the sleeves 85 and 85' in the same direction, the faces on one pulley will move apart while the faces on the other pulley will move together the same distance. This movement causes the effective diameter of each of the pulleys, as applies to the V-belt 55, to change, and thus makes possible smooth and accurate adjustment of the speed of the implement. In the structure illustrated, the connection between the positioning sleeves 85 and 85 is made on the lower side of each of the sleeves; but if the direction of the cam surfaces should be reversed, the connection would be made on the upper side of each of the sleeves.

The resilient shock absorber 103 which joins the flex- .ible strip 101 includes a body portion 105 which is attached at one end to one of the strips 101 and a plungerlike member which includes a threaded rod 108 having a spacer member 110 attached to its end. The spacer member 110 of the plunger-like member 107 isadapted to move within the body portion 105 and the other end of the threaded rod 108 is attached to the other of the flexible strips 101. The spacer member 110 is biased by means of a coil spring 109 Within the body of the shock absorber 103 so as to resist longitudinal forces which tend to extend the strips 101. Adjustment of the spring tension in the shock absorber 103 is accomplished by means of a threaded, positioning bushing 111 which engages the threaded rod portion 108 of the plunger-like member 107 (Fig. 6). The bushing 111 abuts against the outer end of the body 105 of the shock absorber 103. A decrease in the overall length of the shock absorber increases the tension on the belt 55.

A brake for the implement may be provided by a brake shoe 115 which engages the edge of the outer disc 61 of the rear pulley 53 and the pressure of the brake shoe 115 may be conveniently controlled by means of a foot pedal 116 (Fig. 2) located near the baler operator.

A sprocket 117 is attached to the outer end of the cross shaft 57 and the sprocket 117 is connected to a sprocket 119 on a second cross shaft 121 by means of a chain 123. A sprocket 125 is keyed to the other end of shaft 121, and this sprocket is operatively connected by means of a chain 129 to a sprocket 127 attached to the ground wheel 33. Power is thus positively transmitted from the V-belt drive 51 to the drive wheel 33 by means of the sprocket and chain connections.

It will be noted that the two tires 131 and 133 on the drive wheel 33 are of differing sizes, the outer tire 133 having a diameter which is 2 to 3 inches less than the diameter of the inner tire 131. It has been found that this arrangement of the drive wheel tires provides more positive traction in a soft field and facilitates the efficient movement of the implement about the field by its single driven wheel.

The novel variable V-belt drive which has been described in the foregoing may be used either alone or in combination with a conventional three-speed transmission to accurately control the ground speed of the baler. However, the combination of the three-speed transmission and the variable V-belt drive permits extremely accurate adjustment between the speeds of the transmission without requiring unduly large variations in the effective diameters of the pulleys.

One of the important features of the drive unit is that the tractor engine is normally operated at a constant speed during the operation of the implement, while the ground speed is varied by means of the three-speed transmission and the variable V-belt drive. This feature of a constant engine speed and variable ground speed enables the operator to run the implement along the ground at the optimum speed for baling while, at the same time driving the baling mechanism at a constant speed from the engine. Thus, the baling mechanism can be operated to pick up the material to be baled at a substantially uniform rate, regardless of the size of the windrow. Also, the baling mechanism will be subjected to less wear because its speed does not vary when the speed of the implement along the ground is changed.

Windrow pick-up unit The windrow pick-up unit, indicated generally as W in the drawings and particularly shown in Figs. 8 and 9, is adapted to pick the windrowed hay or other crop material from the ground and to move the picked-up material to the feeding unit G which conveys it into the baling chamber B. The pick-up unit W is hingedly mounted at the forward end of the feeding unit G and is adjustable in a vertical direction. The feeding unit G is in turn supported upon the outrigger-like frame 31, which extends transversely to the line of draft of the implement. The various elements of the windrow pickup W are supported upon a suitable frame structure which includes, at either end thereof, a downwardly ex- *6 tending, generally triangular shaped plate member 135. The upper end of each of the plate members 135 is at tached to the feeding unit G by means of a transversely disposed, horizontal hinge pin 137. The plates 135 are reinforced by suitable angle and plate members indicated at 138 and 138a in the drawings (Fig. 9).

The pick-up includes a rotatable, skeletonized, inner cylinder 139, supported upon a shaft 141 which is journalled in suitable bearings 142 attached to a pair of supporting arms 143. The rearward ends of the arms 143 are integrally attached to the plate 135. The bearings 142 at each end of the rotatable cylinder 139 are provided with a bearing guard 145 which prevents weeds and trash from winding about the bearing 142 and the shaft 141. The construction of the bearing guard 145 is described and claimed in my application Serial No. 778,643 which was filed on October 8, 1947, issued October 21, 1952, as U. S. Patent 2,614,405, and which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

The cylinder 139 supports a plurality of pick-up tines 147 which are arranged in rows and which are adapted to project between spaced-apart stripper plates 149 supported upon the frame of the pick-up. The stripper plates 149 define a generally cylindrical surface which extends around the cylinder 139. Each of the stripper plates 149 is fabricated from a single strip of metal having turned-up edges 151 which extend around the outer periphery of the cylindrical surface as shown particularly in Fig. 12. The turned-up edges 151 have important advantages over the prior arrangement. They reinforce the stripper plates 149 and aid in efiiciently pulling the crop material off the pick-up tines 147. Also, they efiectively prevent material from becoming wedged in the spaces between the stripper plates 149, thereby increasing the efiiciency and reliability of operation of the complete apparatus.

The rearward edges of the upper portions of each of the stripper plates 149 are attached to a suitable transversely extending member 153 which extends between the end plates 135 of the pick-up unit frame (Fig. 9). The lower portions of the stripper plates 149 are joined together by a transversely extending member 155 which is attached at each end to one of the plate members 135. Thus, the stripper plates 149 and the rotatable inner cylinder 139 are both hingedly supported for vertical movement relative to the feeding unit G by means of the co-axial hinge pins 137.

The weight, or a large portion of the weight, of the windrow pick-up W is supported by means of one or more counter-balancing springs such as the pair of spaced apart, coiled, counter-balancing springs 157, each of which acts along a guide rod 159. The upper end of the guide rod 159 is hingedly attached to one of the reinforcing plates 138a by a hinge pin 160, and the lower end of the guide rod slides freely in a bracket 161 which is rigidly attached to the outrigger-like frame 31. The position of the pivot pins 137, the position of the hinged connection between the guide rod 159 and the reinforcing plate 138a, and the direction of the force exerted by the spring, which is determined by the guide rod, are such that the weight of the pick-up unit W will just overcome the biasing action of the spring 157 when the pickup is in the operating position. The spring 157 acts upon the pick-up unit W through a lever arm whose length is determined by the angular position of the hinge pin relative to the hinge pin 137. When the axis of rod 159 and the pins 137 and 160 are all disposed along a straight line, there is no lever arm and no lifting force is applied to the pick-up unit. When the pick-up unit is raised to a position which causes pins 137 and 160 to fall upon a line which is perpendicular to the rod 159, a lever arm of maximum length results. As the pick-up is raised towards the transport position, the effective length of the lever arm between the hinge pins 137 and 160 is increased. The reaction of the spring 7, 157 is decreased by its becoming extended and the biasing force of the combined lever arm and spring remains substantially constant. The pick-up unit W will then remain in either the lowered or operative position or in the raised or transport position when the spring 157 is properly adjusted.

Hold-down strips 163 are provided for holding the picked-up crop material in contact with the stripper plates 149, and a pair of suitable flared end members 165 direct the crop material which is picked up by the tines 147 to the feeding unit G. The construction and positioning of the hold-down strips 163 constitute another novel feature of the structure and are illustrated particularly in Figs. 9, 10, and 11. The hold-down strips 163 are attached to a transversely extending tube or rod member 166 each end of which is journalled into a forwardly extending member 167 attached to each of the flared end members 165. Each of the forwardly extending members 167 is provided with a plurality of spacedapart bearing holes 169 so that the position of the holddown strips 163 can be adjusted for varying crop conditions. The hold-down strips 163 are suitably curved and are rigidly attached to the transversely extending rod 166 in a spaced-apart relationship across the pick up. A positioning bracket 171 is attached to one end of the transversely extending rod 166 so as to determine a lowered and a raised position for the hold-down strips. The bracket 171 includes a rectangular plate portion 173 which is attached to the rod 166 in a position parallel to the forwardly extending member 167 and a bent over flat surfaced tab or ear portion 175. The flat surface of the tab 175 engages the lower edge of the forwardly extending member 167 so as to determine the lowered position of the hold-down strips (Fig. In this position, the hold-down strips 163 are maintained a few inches above the stripper plates 149 (Fig. 9). The rearward edge of the tab 175 is cut away so that it permits the hold-down strips 163 to be moved to the vertical position (Fig. 11) before it engages the lower edge of the forwardly extending member 167 and prevents further movement. In the raised position the hold-down strips serve to protect the operator from becoming entangledwith the rotating tines if it becomes necessary to clear the material from the machine during operation.

It has been determined that hold-down strips as described above, which are not resiliently biased toward the stripper plates, as in the prior structures, substantially eliminate stoppages of the equipment due to clogging and result in more even feeding under extremely light loads. Theconstruction of the hold-down strips 163 is such that they serve the dual purpose of holding material against the stripper plates and, at the same time, of protecting the operator from coming in contact with the rotatable tines. In addition, when the machine is used as a stationary baler, the hold-down strips may be raised to form a baffie which causes all of the material pitched into the machine to be fed into the baler.

Preferably the pick-up unit is driven from a connection to one of the drive wheels of the implement. This connection may include a serrated power take off pulley or roller 177 which is adapted to be engaged against the inner tire 131 of the drive wheel 33 by means of a rod 179 which extends forwardly to a point adjacent the operators position. The serrated pulley 177 is keyed to a shaft 181 which is suitably journalled into an a justably positionable bearing 183 attached to the frame F. A sprocket 185 is keyed to the other end of the shaft 181, and this sprocket 185 is operatively attached to a sprocket 187 on a cross shaft 189 by means of a suitable drive chain 191. The cross shaft 189 is journalled at one end in the frame of the implement, and at the other end into the frame of the pick-up unit, and is connected to the pick-up by means which includes a longitudinally extensible shaft section, a pair of universal joints 193, which permit the pick-up unit W to move relative to the main frame of the implement, a sprocket 195, and a chain 196 which operatively joins the sprocket with a sprocket 197 keyed to the end of the pick-up cylinder shaft 141. The connection between the pick-up cylinder and the ground wheel insures that the peripheral speed of the pick up cylinder will at all times be proportional to the ground speed of the implement. Thus, the tines will move at a speed in a predetermined relation to the ground speed of the implement and will efiiciently pick up windrowed material at all speeds of the implement.

Feeding unit The feeding unit G, shown especially in Figs. 8, 12, 13, 14, and 15 in the drawings, is adapted to deliver the crop material from the windrow pick-up unit W into the baling chamber B. The feeding unit G comprises an auger 199 which is disposed transversely to the Line of draft of the implement and a pair of vertically disposed, transversely extending, converging feed belts 2M and 2113 which are adapted to deliver the material into the baling chamber B in a precompressed, vertical ribbon. The feeding mechanism is supported on the outrigger-like frame 31 within a suitable housing 205. The housing 295 includes a bottom member 297, an end member 209 which seals off the outer end of the feeding mechanism, a back member 211 which is hingedly supported at its bottom edge by a pair of hinges 212 (Figs. 17 and 17a) so that it can be lowered to form a rearwardly extending, downwardly inclined, platform, and a top member 213. An opening is provided in the forward side of the housing 205, this opening having the same length as the width of the pick-up unit W, in order that all material which is gathered up by the pick-up unit W will be conveniently moved into the feeding unit G. The housing 205 also includes suitable cover plates 214 which are adapted to protectively surround all of the moving elements of the feeding unit G.

The auger 199 includes a central core 215 which is provided with a journal portion 217 of reduced size, at each end (Fig. 17). A spirally formed member 219 is welded or otherwise fastened to the cylindrical core 215 to define the flight of the auger, and the direction of rotation of the auger is such that the material collected by i the pick-up is delivered into the nip formed by the feeding belts 201 and 203. The auger flight 219 may be formed from one piece of metal or, more conveniently, may be fabricated from a series of short segments which are welded together to form the complete spiral. The journal section portion 217 at the outer end of the auger 199 is rotatably supported in a suitable bearing 222 in the end member 209 of the housing 205, and the journal portion 217 at the inner end of the auger 199 is journalled in a hearing which is supported upon a bracket 221 attached to a member of the housing 205 (Fig. 12).

A stripper bar 223, which is proportioned to co-act with the auger 199, is supported in the housing 205 at a point adjacent the juncture between the back member 211 and the top member 213. The stripper bar 223 co-acts with the auger 199 in the usual manner, and causes crop material to move inwardly towards the feed belts 201 and 293 instead of traveling around the auger 199.

The pair of transversely extending, vertically disposed, converging feed belts 291 and 203 extend from the delivery end of the auger 199 to a point adjacent an inlet opening 225 into the baling chamber B (Figs. 13 and 14). The inner or co-acting runs of the feed belts 201 and 203 form a receiving nip adjacent the delivery end of the auger 199 and then converge as they approach the opening 225 in the baling chamber, so that crop materials being bale-d are compressed into a thin, vertically extending ribbon. Compression, or precompression, of the material being baled is increased in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, by resiliently biasing the for- 9 ward feed belt 201 against the rearward 'feed belt 203 aswill hereinafter be described.

Each of the feed belts and 203 comprises a plurality of continuous strips of flat belting 227 and 227a, respectively (Fig. 14), which are suitably supported on vertically extending rollers, including those indicated at 2201a, 2011b, and 203a, 2031), 2030, and 203d. The face .ofeach of the rollers is provided with spaced-apart ridges 229 which are adapted to guide the individual strips of belting 227 and to maintain them in a predetermined position.

The rollers 203a, 203b, 203C, and 203d for the rear feed belt 203 are rotatably journalled into a'sub-fra'me 231 which includes an upper plate 233, a lowerplate 235, and vertically extending strengthening and spacing members 237. The guide rollers 203a and 20312, which sup port the inner faces of belt sections 227a, are rotatably journalled adjaccntthe forward edge of the sub-frarne 231, at its inner and outer ends respectively. The guide roller 203a which is disposed adjacent the inlet 225 to the baling chamber, should be of small diameter so that the crop materials are thrown into the baling chamber instead of following the belts 227a around the roller 203a, as would be the case if'a larger diameter roller were used. The driving roller 203d is of relatively large diameter and is positioned to the rear of the inner run of the belt 2270, in a position intermediate the guide rollers 203a and 203b. The driving roller 203d is supported upon a vertically extending shaft 239 which is long enough to extend through both the bottom '207 and the top 213 of the feeding unit housing 205. The proper belt Wrap for the drive roller 203d is obtained by providing a take up roller, indicated at 2030, to the rear of the driving roller 203d. The take up roller 203a is journalled into a frame 240 which is slidably supported in transversely extending slots 241 in the upper and lower plates 233 and 235 respectively, and is made adjustable in a transverse direction by means of a pair of threaded, adjusting rods 2 53 which extend through suitably spaced holes in the vertical frame member 237. Accurate adjustment is made possible by threaded hand knobs 245 whichengage the threaded 'adjusting'rods 243.

The subi'rame 231 for the rearward feed belt 203 is held in a fixed position relative to the feeding unit mechanism by means of a novel spring latch arrangement 247 which is illustrated, particularly, in Fig. 14. The spring latc h arrangement 247 includes a vertically extending spacer rod 248 which is attached at its ends to the upper and lower plates 233 and 235 of the sub-frame 231. The connection between the vertically extending spacer rod 248 and the plates 233 and 235 may include a pair of L-shaped castings 250 and 250a which serve to reinforce the connections. A pair of outwardly extending cantilever members 252 and 252a are attached to the vertically extending spacer rod 243 in'posit'i'ons which are spaced from each of the L-shaped castings 250 and 250a. Coaxial holes, which are adapted to receive a pair of latching pins 254 and 254a, are drilled through the cantilever members 252 and 252a, the L'-shaped castings 250 and 250afthe plates 233 and 235, and the top and bottom members 207 and 213 ofthe feeding unit housing. The holes are positioned so that when they are aligned the sub-frame 231 and the associated feed belt 203' are in the proper position, relative to the feed belt 201, to insure effective precompression of the crop materials'being baled.

The latching pins or slide bolts and 254a extend through the drilled holes in the top and bottom'members 213 and 207 respectively of the feed unit housing. The pins 254 and 25% are biased into engagement with the topjan-d bottom members of the feed unit housing by means of coiled springs 256'which act against a washer 258 or other projection which'is attached-to the shank of each of the sliding bolts or pins 254 and 254a. Bell crank levers260 and 260:: are pivotally connected 'to'the outwardly extending cantilever members 252 and 252m, respectively. Each of thebellcrank levers 260 and 260a is'positioned so that one of its arms extends generally vertically along the "spacing member and the other of its arms engages thefree end of the bolt or locking pin adjacent the cantilever member's.

When the arms of the bell crank levers and the spacer rod are squeezed together "by hand the bias-in'gaction'of the springs 256 is overcome and'the latching bolts or pins 254 and 254a are retracted from the'holes-in the upper and lower covers 213 and 207 respectively. The'inner end of the feed belt subf-rame-231-and-its associated rollers and belts then may be swungrearward-ly about the drive r011 shaft 239. This construction facilitates access to the baling chamber opening 225 for maintenance or rep air of the bailing plunger.

The forward feed belt 201 also 'includes a sub-frame 25' 1, three sections or flat belting 227, and the supporting rollers 201a, 201b, and 2010 for the belt sections. These rollers are provided with-the ridges 229 for'guiding and positioning the beltsec-tions and are supported by suitable bearings on the sub-frame 251 (Figs. 12 and 14). The drive roller 20'1b "for the forward feed belt is positioned at the outer 'endof the sub-frame 251. The drive roller 201b is supported upon an elongated shaft 249 which is adapted to extend through the t-op21-3 and the bottom 207 of the feed nnit-housing 205; the inner end of'thefeedbel-t is provided withaguide roller 201a of a suitable small diameter, similar to the roller 203a. The sub-frame 251 includestop 'and bottom plate members 253' and 255, and a vertical, "spacing andstrengthening member 257. The take'uproller 2010 is supported in a separate, U-shaped frame 259 which is slidably supported'in slots'261 in the upper and lower-plates 253 and 255, the slots 261 extending transversely to the line of movement of the inner face of the forward feed belt. Adjusting rods 263 are-provided which extend through the fixed vertical frame member 257, and these co-act with threaded knobs 265 similartothe knobs 245 used to adjust the tension in the rearward feed belt.

The forward feed 'belt 201 is biased to the position shown in Figs 12, 13,'and 14*by 'a spring 269, and adapted to swingaboutthedri've roll shaft 249 toward and away from the other feed belt 203. At the-inner end of the sub-frame 251 there is a vertically extending, curved, metal plate 267 which co-acts with the outer surface of the baling chamber B to prevent the loss of crop'materials when the forward belt 201 moves from the Fig. 12 position. The biasing spring 269 acts between the vertical spacer 257 and abracket 271 whch is fixedly attached to the feed unit housing 205.

The feeding unit G is power "driven from the baler mechanism by means'of a conventional flat drive belt 273 (-Figs. 8 and 15). The upper end of the shaft 239 for the rear feed belt drive roll'203d is provided with a pulley 275 which is-engaged by the flat drive belt 273, and suitable idler pulleys '277 and 279. (Fig. 15) are journalled on vertically extending stub shafts 281 and 233 which are attached to the top-member 213 of the feed unit housing 205. The pulley 275 is the main drive pulley. As the drive belt 273 extends from the driving mechanism in a horizontal plane and since theidlers 277 and 279 and the pulley 275 on the rear feed belt drive shaft 239 are in a vertical plane, suitable means are required for turning the belt onedgei'n order that'it may engage the main drive pulley 275. This means will-be described in the section entitled Power drive connections.

A pulley 285 is keyed to'thel'ower end of the rear feed beltdrive shaft 239 and 'this isoperatively connected to a pul1ey'287 on the lower'endbf'the forward feed belt drive 'sha ft'249 by means of a suitableV-belt 289. A spring biased belttightener291 is provided on the run of belt 239 to insure a 'p'ositive unveeoanecti-on. Thebelt tigh'tener 291 includes a bell eranrreva 293fone arm of which is pivota-lly at'tilied tb "the bottommeifibr "11 207 of the feed unit housing 205 by means of a pin 295, and the other arm of which supports a belt tightener pulley 297. A spring 299 extends from the juncture of the two arms of the bell crank lever 293 to a fixed point on the feed unit housing 205 in order to provide the proper tension for the belt 289.

The auger 199 is driven, by means of a V-belt 303, from a pulley 301 keyed to the upper end of the forward feed belt drive shaft 249. The V-belt 303 connects the pulley 301 with a pulley 30S keyed to the outer journal section 217 of the auger 199 and the connection includes a suitable reversing pulley 307 and a belt tightener 309. The V-belt extends from the pulley 301 on the forward feed belt drive shaft 249 around the belt tightener pulley 309 which engages the back, or flat side of the V-belt 303. The belt tightener pulley 309 is of the same type as the belt tightener pulley 297 which has been described in connection with the belt 289, and includes a bell crank lever 311 and a biasing spring 313. The inner, or V, surface of the belt 303 then passes around the fixed reversing pulley 307 which is journalled on a vertically extending shaft 315 attached in the top member 213 of the feed unit housing 205. The belt 303 then runs over an'id'ler pulley 317 which is supported on a longitudinally extending, horizontally disposed shaft 319, around the drive pulley 305 on the journal section 217, upwardly around an idler pulley 321 which is supported on a longitudinally extending, horizontally disposed shaft 323 and back to the pulley 301.

Under some operating conditions, it is desirable to provide a fixed baclu'ng plate (not shown) to reinforce the inner runs of the feed belts 201 and 203 which engage the crop materials. The backing plate should be suitably shaped so as to prevent undue wear on the belt and in some instances can be resiliently biased against th run of its associated belt. A backing plate insures a more positive pressure on the material being baled and results in even more effective precompression.

Under some operating conditions a single feed belt may be used to compress the material being baled instead of the three belt sections 227 described above, but it has been found that for the most elficient precompression a multiplicity of belt sections 227 have an advantage in that they can be held at a greater tension without causing the belts to run out of line.

In the foregoing, there has been described a novel feeding unit for a baler which is adapted to deliver the material being baled into the baling chamber in a precompressed, vertically extending ribbon. The feeding of the material into a baler in this form causes the bales to have flat sides and square corners, and to be of a uniform density through its length and its cross sectional area. Under conditions of extremely light feeding, the feed belts which are resiliently biased together cause the material to be evenly distributed vertically across the baling chamber and thus prevent the density variations which are usually noted when ordinary feeding arrangements are used.

Baling chamber The baling chamber B is supported upon the longitudinally extending portion of the frame of the prime mover in a position adjacent the discharge end of the feed belts 201 and 203. The baling chamber B is fabricated from suitable plate members 325 which are welded or otherwise fastened together to form the top, the bottom, and the sides of the rectangularly shaped chamber. The rectangular opening 225 into the baling chamber is located adjacent the outlet end of the feed belts 201 and 203, and the material being baled is fed into the chamber through this opening. A plurality of vent holes 327 are provided in the bottom surface of the baling chamber B so that the pressure of air within the chamber remains normal during the baling operation (Fig. 18).

A baling plunger or piston 329, having a rectangular cross section, is slidably supported the baling '12 chamber B. The proportions of the piston are such that it fits closely within the baling chamber thereby assuring that the crop materials will be efiiciently compressed. The piston 329 is reciprocated by means of a crank shaft 333 which is rotatably journalled in suitable bearings at the forward end of the baling chamber B (Figs. 3 and 25). The connection between the crank shaft 333 and the piston 329 is conveniently made by a conventional connecting rod 335. The crank shaft 333 is horizontally disposed and extends transversely of the baling chamber. One end of the crank shaft projects out of the baling chamber, and a large cast iron or fabricated fly wheei 337 is attached thereto. It is possible to reciprocate the baling piston 329 in various ways, as for example by the use of a cam keyed to a cross shaft, the cam operating against a spring biased push rod which is connected to the baling piston 329. Under some circumstances a variable speed stroke, such as would be obtained by the action of a cam, may be desirable. For example, the compression stroke can be slowed down with a corresponding increase in the speed of the return stroke. Also the piston can be caused to pause momentarily at the beginning of the power stroke, thereby keeping the feed opening unobstructed for a greater period of time during each stroke despite the use of a slow compression stroke.

A shearing blade 339 is attached to the side of the piston which is adjacent the intake or feeding opening 225 by means of a plurality of cap screws 341 (Fig. 18). The shearing Iblade 339 cooperates with a fixed shear plate 343 which is attached to the rearward edge of the intake opening 225 (Fig. 13). On each stroke of the baling piston 329, the crop material being baled is cut off by the shear blade 339 as the crop is compressed so that the baled material forms a plurality of individually separable, compressed layers.

In order to prevent the baled material from re-expanding to its original volume, a plurality of inclined wedges 345 are attached to the walls 325 of the baling chamber. The wedges 345 are relatively narrow (in a commercial embodiment of the invention having a bale case which has cross sectional dimensions of approximately 16 inches by 20 inches, the wedges are only about /8 inch wide and extend outwardly from the walls about /1; inch, two wedges being provided on the top, the bottom, and on each of the sides) and they are positioned so as to present a fiat surface to the already baled material, thus preventing its re-expansion (Fig. 18). The inclined or wedge surface is presented to the material which is being compressed by the piston 329. A plurality of recesses 347 are provided in the baling piston 329 to permit the face of the piston to move rearwardly past the wedges 345. This insures that the material being baled is forced past the wedges on each stroke of the piston.

A particularly successful replaceable wedge construction is shown in Figs. 19 and 20. The illustrated wedge 345 includes a Wedge portion 346 which has one surface 348 approximately perpendicular to the wall 325 of the bale case and another surface 350 which is inclined toward the wall 325. The other two surfaces 352 of the wedge portion are in the shape of a right triangle and lie in parallel planes which are substantially perpendicular to the walls 325. An irregular shaped boss 354, which may be in the shape of a rectangular prism, as illustrated, is integrally attached to the bottom of the wedge portion 346. The rectangular prism 354 has a cross sectional area which is less than the cross sectional area of the wedge portion 346. The prism portion is provided with a suitably drilled and tapped hole 356. When attaching the wedge 345 to the wall 325 of the baling chamber, a rectangular or square aperture which will receive the rectangular pn'sm section 354 is provided in the wall 325. The prism portion is placed in the aperture, and is locked in place by means of a machine screw 358 and an enlarged Washer 360, as illustrated in Fig. 20.

A wedge, as above described, may be easily replaced when it becomes worn and is not subject to the failures of the usual spring biased dogs which are used in the conventional baler. The natural resiliency of the ma terial being baled is utilized in forcing the material into engagement with the wedges, and the narrow width of the wedges reduces the amount of damage to leaves and stalks and thus effectively prevents dusting.

The improved feeding unit G of the invention, which provides a precompressed ribbon of crop materials, makes possible a substantial reduction in the length of the stroke of the piston, together with an increase in the number of working strokes per minute, as compared with the known prior arrangements. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the stroke of the piston is about 8 inches, and the piston is reciprocated so that it has about 200 working strokes per minute. Prior apparatus of similar capacity operated at piston speeds of the order of 30 to 45 working strokes per minute and with a length of stroke of the order of 3 feet. It is desirable that the speed of the piston be correlated with the speed of the feed belts 201 and 263 so that the inlet opening 225 to the baling chamber will remain open for a suthcient time to allow an even layer of material to !be deposited in the baling chamber prior to each compression stroke of the piston.

In balers constructed in accordance with the invention it has been found that a ribbon of precompressed crop material having a length of about one and one-half times the width of the baling chamber should be fed into the chamber on each stroke of the piston. When the speeds of the feed belts are so correlatedto the rate of the working strokes of the baling piston, the crop materials being baled are formed into flat sections within the bale which have parallel sides which may be easily detached from one another to facilitate the use of the baled material. The above ratio has been found to be substantially an optimum ratio for baling various different crop mate rials, as for example, hay, straw, alfalfa, and clover. However, when the baler is to be used for baling straw, for example, for long periods of time, it may be desirable to adjust the speed ratio between the feed belts and the piston speed by varying the size of the drive pulley 275.

In a particular commercial embodiment of the invention which has a baling case 18 inches high and 14 inches wide, and a piston stroke of 8 inches, it has been found desirable to feed about 22 linear inches of the precompressed ribbon of crop materials into the chamber for each stroke of the piston. Observations made during the operation of this embodiment show that the picked-up crop material leaving the auger and entering the receiving nip of the feeding belts extends substantially the entire height of the feeding belts and is from 12 to 15 inches in thickness. After precompression by the resiliently biased feed belts, the thickness of the material is reduced to about'from l to 6 inches, the precompressed material thus occupies from about to- /3 of its original volume. Correlation between the linear speed of the feeding belts and the rate of travel of the piston is extremely important if all types of crop materials are to be efficiently baled.

The construction of the invention makes possible economy of manufacture and of operation, because expensive reduction gears, massive fly wheels, and the like are eliminated, and the overall cost of the implement may be reduced. The high speed piston permits the fly wheel, which also serves as the drive pulley, to be mounted directly on the crank shaft, and in addition it becomes possible to use a smaller fly wheel. The high speed operation of the crank and fly wheel has the further important advantage that it loads the driving engine or other drive mechanism much more evenly than the slower speed prior machines. The combination of the long slow piston stroke of the prior art machines together with the horizontal feed openings, caused the crop materials being baled to become more dense at the bottom of the chamber than at the top, as contrasted with the short stroke and 14 vertical feed opening combination of the present invention which produces thin even layers of material with accompanying uniform density throughout the height of the bales.

Bale case The overall density of the baled material is determined by the resistance of the material which has been previously compressed to the baling piston. This resistance in turn is determined by the relative dimensions of the bale case, and in most balers there is provision made for adjusting these dimensions to permit the handling of different crop materials.

The bale case C is located longitudinally adjacent to the rear of the baling chamber B and is shown particularly in Figs. 1, 2, 22, and 23. The bale case C, is, in general,

a guideway for the baled material, which is of adjustablecross sectional area, and includes a top and-a bottom member, 349 and 351 respectively, which are spaced apart at their rearward ends by means of a vertically extending yoke 353 which permits a predetermined amount of vertical movement therebetween. The bottom member 351 of the bale case C is formed from a longitudinally extending plate which is supported upon the angle members 37 of the main frame F. The top member 349 of the bale case is a channel member which is positioned with its two reinforcing webs extending downwardly. The angle between the webs and the connecting section of the channel causes the upper corners of the baled material to have sharp edges.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, adjustment of the density in the baled material, indicated at 355 in Fig. 22, is accomplished by reducing the vertical. spacing between the top and bottom members 349 and 351. The change in spacing is effected by movement of the top member 349 which is hinged to permit its movement r'elative to the lower member so as to provide an added resistance to the movement of the already baled material through the bale case. The top of the bale case may be hinged to the upper member of the bale chamber in any convenient manner, but it has been found that sufiicient hinge action may be obtained by welding or otherwise attaching a piece of angle iron 357 to the end of the top member 349 of the bale case C and a similar piece of angle iron 35? to the top of the baling chamber. The pieces of angle iron 357 and 359 are loosely fastened together by means of bolts or rivets 361 (Figs. 1 and 2). This type of yielding connection has been found to permit the required relative movement.

The vertically extending yoke 353, which determines the position of the top member 349 of the bale case C includes a horizontally disposed member 363, attached to the lower side of the bottom member 351 of the bale case. A vertically extending member 365 is attached to each end of the horizontal member 363 and upper portions of the vertical members 365 taper inwardly around the top member 349 of the bale case C so as to support a roller 367. A horizontally disposed reinforcing member 369 is attached across the vertically extending members 365 of the yoke 353, and a pair of vertically extending reinforcing members 371 extend from adjacent the ends of the roller 367 to the horizontal reinforcing member 369. The horizontal reinforcing member 369 is fabricated with a transversely extending cut-out portion 373 which is adapted to receive a transversely extending web portion 375 attached to the upper member 349 of the bale case C. A second roller 377 is supported in a transversely extending direction above the top of the bale case by means of a pair of supporting brackets 379 attached to the web 375 (Fig. 23).

A wedge member 381 is inserted between the pair of rollers 367 and 377 so as to effect a-downward force upon the lower roller 377, so as to move the top member 349 of the bale case C towards the bottom member 351 of the bale case C. The constriction of the outlet opening of the bale case thus effected, causes a greater pressure 

